Ben Bankas defies cancellation calls, show set to proceed in Kelowna

VANCOUVER — Comedian Ben Bankas is moving forward with his scheduled performance at Prospera Place in Kelowna, BC on Thursday night, despite calls to cancel the show.Bankas's stand-up comedy tour has faced multiple cancellations in recent weeks — including a planned stop in Nanaimo, BC earlier this month — due to so-called “extremely offensive content.”.Bankas has become a polarizing figure with the comedian drawing both criticism and praise for his provocative material..According to a recent Global News report, the push to cancel the Kelowna show is being led by Kelowna Pride.Spokesperson Candace Banks stated that Bankas's act involves "trashing immigrants, Indigenous people, women, trans folks, [and] queer folks."Kelowna Pride has urged Prospera Place to cancel Thursday's performance.In response, Prospera Place acknowledged the concerns, stating that the venue "hosts a wide range of events throughout the year, presented by different organizers. When providing the space for these events, we recognize that not every performance will resonate positively with the whole of our community."The venue added that such feedback "is considered carefully and [takes] into account a variety of factors, including existing agreements and public safety.”As of Thursday afternoon, the show is set to proceed as scheduled..Both the call from Kelowna Pride to cancel the show and the subsequent Global News story, meanwhile, have elicited ridicule.“This is not a genuine news story,” wrote Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant, who called the Global News story “government-subsidized, woke ‘journalists’ at Global News pressuring the venue to break its contract and blackball a comedian they don’t find funny.”.Senior correspondent for The National Telegraph Daniel Bordman said of the story: “We have a country more concerned with stopping Ben Bankas from telling jokes than literal ISIS fighters entering the country.”

Ben Bankas defies cancellation calls, show set to proceed in Kelowna

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